Healing Continues on for Roselyn Barlow nee Richards
In 2017, Link-Up (Qld) supported Stolen Generations descendant Roselyn Barlow, nee Richards, in tracing her father’s family, who he had not been in contact with before he passed. In her reunion, Roselyn met two of her cousins for the first time, opening the door to a long-standing familial reconnection. Now, she reflects on her healing journey and its impact on her life in the years since.
Under past government policies and practices, Roselyn’s father Bruce Douglas Richards was placed in the Salvation Army Boys Home at Indooroopilly (Brisbane), when he was still quite young. Then, when he was of age, he enlisted in the army and fought in the Second World War, where he survived as a Prisoner of War in Changi for over three years.
Growing up, Roselyn heard from her father about his mother, brothers and sister. However, Bruce was not in communication with his family and had no way of contacting them. After his passing, Roselyn struggled to find information about his family, so she sought support with Link-Up (Qld).
“It used to bother me over the years, especially growing up as a teenager after we lost dad. I always wondered, where’s this person? Where’s that? I was always questioning,” Roselyn says.
“When I got in touch with Link-Up (Qld) to find out a bit about dad’s siblings, that’s when we found out that his sister [Aunty Georgina] was still alive, and that Uncle Trevor and his wife had a daughter.”
Once they were ready, Roselyn and her sister travelled to Brisbane for her reunion and met a daughter of her Aunty Georgina at the War Memorial.
“She showed us a plaque – dad’s name was on the plaque, with Uncle Trevor’s,” she says proudly.
On the next day, Roselyn and her sister met her Uncle Trevor’s daughter Trina in Redcliffe. Roselyn learnt that Trina’s mother was from Japan and had lost her parents in Hiroshima. She met Uncle Trevor while he was overseas, before they married and moved back to Brisbane. For Roselyn, hearing these stories about her family members has shifted her perspective, and she is always eager for more knowledge and connection.
“We sat down and had conversations over a meal together. We took some photos and each kept some sand from the beach. It was nice to take something home as memorabilia from finally meeting each other,” Roselyn says.
“I just recently went down to the Gold Coast a few months ago and met up with another daughter of Aunty Georgina. I keep in contact with that side of the family to this day and I love getting to know them.”
Reflecting on her time with Link-Up (Qld), Roselyn believes her reunion answered many of her questions and became an invaluable moment of her life. She found her Aunty Georgina and made lifelong connections with her cousins.
Because of the impact her own journey has had on her life so far, Roselyn is a strong advocate for reconnection journeys and the work of Link-Up (Qld) in supporting Stolen generations survivors and descendants to reunite with family, country, community and culture. She encourages all people to learn more about their family history.
“There’s a lot of sad people due the Stolen Generations. People moved here and there, and they faced hardships because of their separation from families. I really encourage people to trace their history back, to find out where they come from and the land where their ancestors walked. It’s interesting history to find out where they grew up and how their parents survived,” Roselyn says.
“That’s why it’s good to have this organisation. That was brilliant. I wouldn’t have been able to find these things out by myself.”
Although she is happy with what she has found so far, Roselyn has never stopped learning more about the outspreading strands of her family history. With the building blocks and skills that she has developed over the course of her journey, her passion for retracing her family’s steps continues to live on.
Link-Up (Qld) supports the healing journeys of Stolen Generations survivors and descendants. Our team of caseworkers, researchers and counsellors help you reunite with family, country and culture. To find out more about Link-Up (Qld)’s research and reunion services, visit https://link-upqld.org.au/reunions/.
Published June 2026.